Thursday, December 6, 2007

We're on the downhill side of the work week and coasting into the weekend--not quite fast enough for me, but it's coming. Why is it that this "car" picks up such speed between Friday night and Monday morning? I don't want to rush though life waiting for the weekend, but I'd just like to slow the weekends down a little and speed the work weeks up. Is that too much to ask?!

You may well be wondering what that photo is at the top of my blog. Well, darn it, I've been carrying my camera to work with me, trying to get a photo for you of the crazy Christmas yard decoration display that's a few blocks from my home--I think this is the one with SpongeBob. Or maybe SpongeBob is around the corner in the other direction. Both yards are kind of "over the top." Anyway, last night when I came home, they didn't have the lights on yet and the inflatables were still collapsed on the lawn. Tonight, everything was in it's full glory, but I guess there just wasn't enough light for the camera to get a good photo. Blame it on the photographer. At least I tried! There sure SEEMED like enough light!

Tonight I went to a meeting of the Jo's Little Women Club at one of the local quilt shops. The shop is starting a BOM Christmas quilt in January and I'm thinking about taking it. I think the pattern is called Christmas List and I'm told it was designed by a shop owner in SoCal, but I'll be darned if I can remember the shop, and was I smart enough to take a photo to show you? No! Despite having my camera with me. What a dummy! (See later note below.) But I swear it's a darn CUTE quilt, and I really don't have enough "cute" Christmas quilts. I expressed that thought at our meeting, and one of my quilting friends, Liz, chimed in with, "Uh, have you looked at your blog lately?!" I gotta say that really cracked me up because it was totally unexpected. Liz had just mentioned before the meeting that she found my blog recently and had enjoyed reading it a couple times (HEY, LIZ! HOW YA DOIN'?). Anyway, what I had in mind is that most of my quilts are more traditional, I think. Although I dearly LOVE "cute," I try not to go there, but you know what? I think I'm going to be taking a trip to Cute! I've decided that if there's ever a time and a place for "cute," Christmas is it. (Actually NEXT Christmas will be "it," 'cause I won't have time to get cute done before this one!) So, now that I'm on a mission to put a little cute in my life, here are the two patterns I picked up tonight. (And don't worry--I actually paid for them--I didn't just pick them up and run out the door! LOL!)

After the meeting, I popped over to Michael's for a few things for Christmas gifts/crafts and got a candle for my bark. Sounds kind of funny, huh? Anyway, here's what it looks like all dressed up:

I finally got the It's a Wrap quilt up on the wall behind my kitchen tree--I took it with me for show and tell tonight and hung it when I got home. (Pssst! See that canning jar full of white stuff to the right of the tree on top of the toaster oven? VERY IMPORTANT Christmas decorations, I'm telling you! One of the MOST IMPORTANT! Those are marshmallows for my hot chocolate! A VITAL ingredient for the holiday season! LOL!)

I also thought you'd like to see the cool GREEN bird I found to go on the top of the tree. And those sparkly, crystally branches are the things my decorating consultant, Missy, told me I needed to go to JoAnn's and buy last week. (Missy's not "officially" a decorating consultant--or at least that's not what she gets paid to do. But she is my "go to" person when I want to bounce ideas off someone or get some ideas and input.) And see those green ornaments with what look like ridges or lines going across them? (There's one near the bird's "tail feathers" and another a bit below that.) Those are the GREEN BALLS that arrived in the mail last week from my bud Sharon. Thanks, everyone, for your help and suggestions in getting this tree together--I'm pleased with the way it's turned out, and I couldn't have done it without all of you!

Time for me to take care of a couple more little chores and then head to bed. See you tomorrow!

* * * * *

NOTE about darn cute Christmas List pattern. Heck, I shoulda known it would be somewhere on Sharon's blog! Actually, I guess I had a little inkling, or maybe I just wanted go over there and visit Cute a little bit, and there it was! Nancy No Blog made it! Here's the photo I shamelessly stole from Sharon's blog--she also has a photo of the pattern with some info on it HERE.

Love your tree picture, the quilt is just perfect there! I love that quilt just a happy quilt..marshmallows yes a staple in this house as well as the whip cream...now all I need is a godiva choc bar to put choc shavings on the whip cream...now thats a hot chocolate!Love the Christmas List quilt am going to have to trackdown that pattern now, thank you very much for adding to my quilts to make list!kathie

Very nice decorations Kim. Aren't you getting tired. You are making me feel exhausted. Oh and DH, the original Scrooge, said to tell you that you are a nightmare to him. LOL! I was showing him how nice your house looks and those were his comments. Of course then he laughed and sent his sympathy to your DH.

Your kitchen tree is just wonderful! I love It's a Wrap...I will get that done for next year...I am nuts about Christmas List and must do that one...maybe we should do it as a challenge this year like Hometown...then maybe I'd get it done...I love it and the Gingerbread one it great. Oh I need 24 extra hours in a day.

That is a very cute pattern! Go for it! I love your decorations, and the bark with candle arrangement is so cool! I love that sort of stuff, making things from stuff you'd never imagine you could make stuff out of. You need to come down to Southern California for the weekend when Sharon teaches her class!

I ordered the pattern for the Christmas List BOM from The Country Loft (619-466-5411) this afternoon. They no longer have fabric kits but sell the patterns individually or as a complete set with a discount.I usually don't do cute but make an exception at Christmas. Thanks for showing the finished quilt for inspiration.

HEY are you stealing from my blog?? ARE YOU???? LOL!! I swear to you, I'm reading your blog and I see the quilt, then I'm thinking gee, that hutch in the back sure looks like one I have. Then I'm seeing the QUILT sign on the floor and I think, WOW I have that toooo. Then I read on......... ROFLMAO!!!!

I definitely think Cute and Christmas go together! If not then, when? Your quilt is a perfect fit behind your very pretty tree - the green balls from Sharon are just the right touch! The Quilters Clutter pattern is wonderful - I must go find it! Your bark is lovely all dressed up, by the way!

About Me

I'm a quilter living in Northern California. I sew and design quilts. During the day, I'm a legal secretary, but at night, I can usually be found in the Sweat Shop, engaged in the sport of X-treme quilting! I'm married and have two adult kids, Soccer Son and the Wild Child. I have a daughter-in-law, the Lovely Wife, and an almost son-in-law (whose blog name is yet to be determined). AND both of my children have blessed me with darling grandchildren recently, a boy and a girl. I try not to take myself too seriously and often write tongue-in-cheek--if you think I might be joking, I probably am!

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IT'S ABOUT TIME!

It's 2013. YIKES! It's 2014! And what's my plan for the year? More of the same? Let's see what I said last year: "Before 2012 ended, several ongoing projects were set aside. Okay, who am I kidding? I'm sure I could say the same thing for every year since 2000! So, in 2013, I'm going to try to get back to many of the 2012 projects and some that were begun even earlier, and get them done. I'll keep track of my progress, in words and photos, here in my side bar." Yep, one year wasn't enough--I think we'll roll it on into 2014!